Fruit-jar holder.



PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

J. T. WBLKB. FRUIT JAR HOLDER.

APPLIOATIQN FILED my 23, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE...

JOHN T. VVELKE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

FRUIT-JAR HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,760, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed May 23, 1904. Serial No. 209.270.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. WELKE, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Jar Holders, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

Myinvention has relation to improvements in fruit-jar holders.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction and. comparatively inexpensive of production and at the same time provides for most effectually clamping and holding the jar during the operation of unscrewing or removing the jar cap or cover.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete device. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the short member of the clamp ing mechanism. Fig. tisa fragmentary view of a modified form of construction, and Fig. 5 is a view at right angles to Fig. 4.

My improved device employs the 'usual clamping-levers 6 6, pivoted together by the rivet 7 The longer arms of the levers constitute the handles and the shorter arms the short levers 8 8, to which the clamping mechanism is connected.

One of the important novel features of my invention resides in the construction of the clampingmechanism. Referring to this mechanism, it will be seen that it consists of two separate and distinct members, one of said members connected to one of the short arms of the levers and the other member to the other short arm, and improved means in connection with said clamping members for adjustably connecting the same together. The two clamping members are indicated, respectively, by the numerals 9 and 10, and in the accompanying illustration of the invention I have shown the member 9 as of considerably greater length than the member 10. This, however, is not absolutely essential, inasmuch as there need not necessarily be any variation in the length of the two members, as they could be of equal length and successful results obtained. The construction shown is preferred, inasmuch as the longer member provides a sufiicient surplus in the length for bridging over the space between the ends of the two short arms of the lever when the holder is applied to jars within the ordinary range of diameter, and thereby providing a continuous bearing all around the jar.

To provide for the adjustable connection of.

the two clamping members, the member 9 is formed with a series of openings 11 and the member 10 with a slot 12 sufficiently wide to permit the member 9 to pass therethrough. The provision of the slot 12 of course necessitates the making of the member 10 some what wider than the member 9, and it is for this reason also that it is desirable to make said member 10 shorter than the member 9, as thereby a saving in material is eifected. It is essential to provide means on the member 10 for engaging any of the series of openings 11 of the member 9, so that the two members may be adjusted to fit around jars of varying diameters. In the Figs. 1 to 3 form of construction I show for the purpose a lip 13 projecting from the outer bordering end edge of the slot 12, and this lip is preferably formed by making a right-angular cut in the metal at said outer bordering edge of the slot and then turning the lip formed by the cut outat right angles to the plane of the member 10, asmost clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

It is of course obvious that the engaging lip need not necessarily be located on the member 10, but instead the clamping member 9 may be provided with a series of projecting lips 14, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, said lips adapted to engage an opening 15, provided in the solid inner portion of said member 10. In this form of construction, however, it is desirable that there should be provided in the member 9 near its pivoted end an opening 16 for the accommodation of the lip 11, located at the overlapping portion of the member 9, when said member 9 is in the overlapping position-such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 4. The lips 14 are also advisably formed by slotting the member 9 and bending outwardly the tongues formed by said slots.

The two clamping members 9 and 10 may of course be pivoted to the short arms of the levers in any desirable manner; but I prefer to employ the specific means shown in the accompanying drawings. which consist in providing the inner ends of said members with longitudinal slots 17 and the outer end of each short arm of the levers with projecting lugs 18. In the operation of connecting the clamping members each member is first brought to such position that its longitudinal slot is in line with the lateral lugs. The lugs are then passed through the slots and the clamping member turned at right angles, so that the lateral lugs will intersect the slot. The end of the clamping member is finally bent around against itself and secured by riveting. It will be seen that by this arrangement a very simple means is provided for pivotally connecting the clamping members to the short arms of the levers.

The clamping members 9 and 10 form a substantially annular clamping-band adapted to be placed on and about a jar, and when adjusted as to length and placed on and about a jar then by bringing the long arms of the levers forcibly together the jar will be grasped and held by the encircling and clamping members and by holding the levers steadily in position the jar will be held against turning while the cap is being put on or taken off, and, if found desirable and convenient to do so, the long arms of the levers may be brought close together and then may be swung a little to the right or left of a radial line from the center of the jar to and along the axis of the levers as pivoted together, thus employing the levers jointly as a lever swinging about the lug on one of the short arms as a fulcrum or pivot to draw on the other clamping member, thereby drawing the clamping members more tightly still about the jar and holding it more securely. What I claim as my invention is 1. In a fruit-jar holder, the combination of a pair of levers pivoted together medially prol viding complementary pairs of long and short arms, transverse terminal lugs on the short arms, clamping devices consisting of two band-like members each provided with a terminal loop formed by doubling the band on itself and riveting the parts together, each band-like member being provided with a longitudinal slot medially of its width opening through it into the loop the loop and slot being adapted to receive the lug and adjacent part of a short arm of a lever, and a lip on one band member adapted to enter one of a plurality of slots in the other band member and lock the two band-like members to each other.

2. In a jar-holder, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted togetherat such point as to provide long and short arms to each lever, of clamping mechanism consisting of two members,connected respectively at their inner ends to the short arms of the levers, and one of the members provided with a slot and with a projecting lip, the other member adapted to pass through the slot, and being provided with a series of openings, any one of which is adapted to be engaged by the lip.

3. In a jar-holder, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted together at such point as to provide long and short arms to each lever, of clamping mechanism consisting of two members connected respectively at their inner ends to the short arms of the levers, and one of the members provided with a slot, and the other member adapted to pass through the slot, and one of said members provided with a projecting lip, and the other member provided with a series of openings, any one of which is adapted tobe engaged by the lip.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN r. WELKE.

Witnesses:

ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER, ALMA KLUe. 

